Boulder Creek

Good field trip. Even though we went to many of the same spots as in the videos it was still great to see them in person and think about them – since I see most of the places on a regular basis. I am a frequent user of the creek path, as many are in Boulder, but I’ve never thought about any kind of flood mitigation around the creek before. I knew they raised Pearl St. a while back but that’s about it. I also didn’t realize how much they have prevented a more disastrous flood area. The flood plain for a big storm (not sure if it was 100 or 50 year) was much smaller than I imagined. Living at 20th and Goss St. I just assumed I’d be swimming if there were to be any kind of sizable creek overflow. I guess I’ll hold off on that flood insurance for now, although I would definitely get it if I were any closer to the creek.

The creek artifacts I posted to flicker and Facebook reflect, in a way, my priorities and interests regarding the creek. I’m a big proponent of relaxation so the bench slash foot bathing station is both practical and amusing to me. I would be disappointed if we lost any of the many kickback and relax spots along the creek due to flooding. I’m sure they would return eventually.

Also, I figured I’d share myself capitalizing on the high water flow that creates amazing waves in certain spots. I’ve always scoped out the good holes on the creek that seem to build very ridable standing waves. Unfortunately, for my purposes this only happens here on Boulder Creek for a brief time each year. So, even though there were a few signs deterring tubers and “Other Floatation Devices” (which we didn’t see until we had gotten fully soaked) from using the creek I was forced to ignore them for a higher purpose… fun. And it was. We took our time scoping out our locations for our entry and exit from the river (some more dicey than others) and were very aware of the dangers. A rule to go by is always being aware of the risks involved and accepting them as possibilities but not to let the negative possibilities deter you from enjoying natural recreation.

The power of the water was very visceral in our exploration of the creek. It was easy to imagine what kind of destruction could come from anything more than the routine water level.